Henry geoss



(No Model.)

H. GROSS.

SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX.

No A Patented Jul 17,1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE HENRY GROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO THE CHICAGO SAFE AND LOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY-DEPOSIT BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 386,400, dated July 17,1888.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GROSS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have 5 invented certain newand useful Improvements in Safety-Deposit Boxes, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speci- IO fication.

In the construction of safety-deposit boxes as at present commonly practiced it is customary to provide the front of the frame-work or system with a series of individual doors [5 corresponding in number to the boxes, these doors being hinged at one side and being provided with bolt-work to fasten the opposite side when the doors are closed. An objection incident to this construction of safetydeposit boxes is that when a depositor has withdrawn his box for the purpose of examining its contents the door is usually left open and is apt to interfere with the simultaneous use of the adjacent box; and, moreover, during the examination of the contents of the box the lock mechanism which is upon the door is left exposed, so that there is possibility of its being tampered with by any one having access to the system. So, also, the forming of a large series of individual doors for the system of boxes necessitates the employment of a number of hinges, which if concealed require a somewhat difficult and expensive construction of framework, and which if exposed detract from the security of the boxes.

My present invention has for its object to so improve the construction of safety-deposit boxes that the lock mechanism of each individual box shall at all times be under the conc trol of the person using the box, and that a more secure closing of the box can be effected with less expense in construction.

To this end my invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter de- 5 scribed,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figurel is a front View of four of the boxes of a safety-deposit system embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through one of the boxes and through a portion of the fl'ttli'lC-WOI'IC of the system, the box being shown as partly withdrawn from the frame-work. Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through the rear end of thesafety-deposit box, the improved lock mechanism being shown in elevation.

The framework A of the safety-deposit boxes may be of any approved constructionsuch, for example,as that illustrated in Letters Patcut No. 361,408, granted to the Chicago Safe and Lock Company, as my assignee, April 19, 1S87--but the front edges,c,of the vertical partition-plates, instead of being provided with hinges for the attachment of individual doors, are provided merely with seats or sockets to receive the ends of the locking-bolts B and B, which serve to hold the boxes securely within the framework when these bolts have been shot by means of suitable locks.

The body of each box C is formed of sheet metal, provided,preferably at its top,with the sectional cover 0 and c, and to the outer end,

0*, of each box is fixed a thick metal plate, D, the rabbet or shoulder d of which slightly overlaps the front edges of the frame-work.

To the inner face ofthe thick metal end plate, D, of each box is fixed a suitable lock, E, this lock being preferably inclosed within a chamber formed by the sides of the box A and the sheet-metal plate F, and through the sides of the box adjacent the end plate, D, are formed suitable openings to permit the movement of the locking-bolts B and B. The main body of the lock E is of ordinary construction, being 8 adapted to be operated by one key that will be retained by the dcpositor and to be guarded by a master-key in the possessionof the bank oflicial; butinstead of employing a single bolt B for locking the box within the frame-work, I provide this ordinary bolt B with a rear extension, b, which is pivotally connected by means of the link B with the rear bolt, B; and this link B", which is pivoted to the end plate, D, of the box, as shown at N, is pivoted also to the rear bolt, B, causing this rear bolt to be shot simultaneously with the main bolt B, the movement ofthe rear bolt, B, being guided by the screw b,that passes through the slot of the bolt,and is fixed to the end plate, D, of the box.

From the foregoing construction it will be seen that when the boxes are placed within the frame-work,.as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the locking-bolts have been shot,as shown by dotted lines,the thick metal end plates of the boxes will serve to securely guard against all danger of the boxes being tampered with, and when the boxes are withdrawn by the depositor for the inspection of their contents the lock mechanism will at all times be under the control of the depositor,so that all danger of its being tampered with is avoided. Moreover, by thus permanently connecting the end plates or doors,D,with the individual boxes all necessity for the use of hinges upon the frame- Work is avoided and all interference with the doors of one box with those of another is obviated. So,also, by pro viding each box with a double set of lockingbolts the boxes .will be securely retained within the structure, and the shoulders or rabbets of the plates D ,by overlapping the front edges,a, of the franie worlgwill avoid all danger of the locking-bolts being tampered with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a system of safety-deposit boxes, the combination, with the frame-work, of a series of sheet-metal boxes,0,each closed at its inner end and having permanently fixed to the outer end thereof a thick metal plate, D, having a shoulderor rabbet,d.substantiallyasdescribed.

2. In a system of safety-deposit boxes, the combination,with the frame-Worlaof the series of sheet-metal deposit-boxes, each having permanently fixed to the outer end thereofa thick metal plate,D, havinga shoulder or rabbet, d, and having fixed to said plate D a suitable lock provided with bolts B and B,each of said boxes being provided with openings to permit 40 l the passage of said bolts, substantially as described.

HENRY GROSS.

Witnesses:

GEO. P. FISHER, Jr. JAMES H. PEIROE. 

